Lifestyle

Vietnamese Vegetarian Author Uyen Luu On Cooking


I have the best bunch of Thai basil,” my mother said. “Can I make a pot of pho?”

We’re not vegetarians, but I grew up loving my veggies. Growing up, my mother characterized all of our meals around herbs, fruits, and vegetables. We’ll have fried fish because the tomatoes are in season, along with tofu and grilled eggplant. In one meal, we will have about three or four vegetarian dishes and one protein dish, served with rice.

Family meals or eating together are paramount in Vietnamese culture. Casual conversation about food you’ve eaten or are about to enjoy is common chit chat. That little talk contains all sorts of meanings and connections because true feelings are rarely spoken.

My mother sing when she talks about food. Fruits and vegetables get her excited and you can tell how happy she is by the way she cooks, eats, and talks about food. The intonation of Vietnamese conveys as many meanings, spirits and emotions as words, so my mother’s excited voice also chirped about steamed purple sweet potatoes, rattled about fragrant lemons dipped in dipping sauce, like Every season there is a gift from mom. with a new surprise or a memory of a good thing coming back to life.

“My neighbor tells me that Chinese violets are in season,” she would whisper, “they are really great for a good night’s sleep,” as if the secret violets would sell out if she spoke louder. “I found some,” she would say in a bolder voice. ‘Shall I make soup or shall I fry it with garlic?’ In her next triumphant breath, she pulled a green, almost yellow mango out of her shopping bag and inhaled it. ‘This is a present for Olive [my daughter]. Smell it, smell it, smell it….’ Winning, she’ll shout, ‘It’s delicious!’ (It’s delicious, it’s delicious.)

My mother and her friends were the only Vietnamese I knew growing up in London. For all I know, I know from eavesdropping on their kitchen conversation when they made me do the job of folding dumplings and rolling spring rolls. They are a sisterhood—a group of women who support each other’s health, sing karaoke, dance together, share food, constantly discuss recipes and techniques, and chat about different types of food. herbs, fruits, and vegetables—from the early 1980s. It was as if the plants they spoke of reflected the sweetness of life, the sourness it imparts, the bitterness it implies, and the spiciness it contains. cover. The beauty and deliciousness of the dishes reflect the compassion and emotions often repressed within them.

No wonder my mother’s life revolved around food. The conversation just starts with, ‘Have you eaten yet?’ Cooking well is about showing the love, kindness, friendship, and compassion that you show through the color, flavor, and vibrancy of your food.

The secret to delicious Vietnamese cooking is: herbs to elevate the dish. The perfect balance of sweet, sour, hot, umami and bitter flavors contrasts harmoniously with different textures and temperatures. This is what makes Vietnam such a great cuisine and one of the best. Meanwhile, colors attract and bring joy and enjoyment.

Imagine the excitement when my mother first found coriander (coriander) in London; they held a carpet picnic of summer rolls and celebrated with full mic karaoke, episode 11. And when a friend found out that they sell fresh pandan leaves in Chinatown, they organized Birthday party for everyone. And when supermarkets started selling honey-soaked mangoes and green papayas, the parties became more and more grand.

No wonder my mother’s life revolved around food. The conversation just starts with, ‘Have you eaten yet?’ Cooking well is about showing the love, kindness, friendship, and compassion that you show through the color, flavor, and vibrancy of your food.

Growing up in England, I was often torn between two sides of my identity. An entree with steamed pandan flavored desserts and one with paper bags of mashed cod and salted vinegar fries (French fries). Not knowing if I’m Vietnamese or British or how to combine the two, I resented the food my mother cooked as a teenager because it wasn’t what everyone else ate. But at the same time, how I love it.

Not knowing if I’m Vietnamese or British or how to combine the two, I resented the food my mother cooked as a teenager because it wasn’t what everyone else ate. But at the same time, how I love it.

In the damp and drizzling urban landscape of Hackney, the smell of anise and cardamom wafts through the two streets, and a delicious, hot bowl of noodles welcomes me home. She tore Thai basil leaves on my pho which took the onion and ginger broth to another level. She squeezed every drop of the first fresh lemon she’d had since we left Vietnam. The delicate scent evokes nostalgic memories of my grandmother and aunt, who used to serve me ice-cold lemon soda with strawberry syrup. They even rub their hands and condition their hair with leftover lemon peels. Nothing ever goes to waste.

On busier days when she has so much to do, I’ll smell the delicious, creamy egg fried rice, sprinkled with pepper with yellow sweet corn and green beans, making use of leftovers and frozen food. . It was the taste of her homeland and the taste of her love.

On weekends, when my friends come over for a sleepover or if it’s my birthday party, huge amounts of perfectly crispy and evenly distributed spring rolls and fresh golden coconut crêpes lined up for a party. elective. My childhood memories are filled with the wonderful food my mother made, and as a chef, I have always wanted to emulate her culinary traits—a combination of instinct and reality. onion; usually fast, economical and perfectly balanced. I used her principles to write recipes in my new book, vegetarian Vietnamese, adapt many of my favorite Vietnamese dishes to be vegetarian and add layers of flavor after flavor like my mom always taught me to do. It has always been her food that helps me find my way through the weather of life and the way back home.

Allowed Vietnamese Vegetarians by Uyen Luu, published by Hardie Grant, May 2023.

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